


(Hello) Sweet Prince, a 5+1 Story

by HunterByDayWhovianByNight



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Asgardian Courting Rituals, Courting Rituals, Fighting, Fighting As Courting, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Jane Foster/Thor, Post-Avengers (2012), Sparring, Thor-centric, tagging as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-21 21:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15566694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterByDayWhovianByNight/pseuds/HunterByDayWhovianByNight
Summary: “He is half my soul, as the poets say.” —Madeline MillerFive times Thor and Bruce got (lowkey) engaged and the one time they really did.





	1. First Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [schwartzys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/schwartzys/gifts).



> I’ve never even attempted writing a 5+1 before, but here we are! My friend Julia gave me this idea some time ago and Thruce really is that good, so I had to do this. Title is inspired by the line “Goodbye sweet prince” from The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare.
> 
> ~Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time they fight, the mere thought of it sends Thor’s head reeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my cheesy-ass trash and fight scenes!
> 
> ~Hunter

The first time was almost immediately after the Avengers were formalized in the eyes of both the public and SHIELD. Thor and Bruce had rooms next to each other at Avengers Tower, an interesting decision on Tony’s part, both men thought, but they found that they enjoyed each other’s company. Bruce reminded Thor so much of Jane, and when he found himself missing her, he would go sit in Bruce’s lab and watch him work. He would ask Bruce about what he was doing, even if he didn’t understand a single word of it. Bruce was so passionate about his work and got excited when Thor asked him about it; it was the only time he ever really saw Bruce smile and his eyes get wide. 

Bruce had this…  _ way  _ about him that drew Thor in. If he hadn’t known Bruce, Thor wouldn’t know that anger and rage bubbled below the surface of his skin. Bruce moved close to his body, kept his head down, and usually spoke at a whisper. His voice and mannerisms were so shy and restrained, likely as a way to avoid getting worked up to the point of Hulking out. Even when Bruce did something wrong, like mess up a calculation or drop an instrument he was using, Bruce would stop for a moment and exhale slowly before starting over or picking up what fell. Thor could safely admit to himself that the way Bruce kept it all in and refused to let himself get flustered or bothered was admirable. 

Bruce asked about Asgard often, about its culture and people. Thor told him stories of all the worlds he’d visited over the many years of his life and the interesting creatures and people he’s met. Thor promised to take him to Asgard and the other realms one day so that he could experience their beauty for himself. Bruce often said that Thor’s voice and long, detailed stories helped him focus on his work and stay level-headed as he worked. It eventually got to a point when they spent so much time together in the lab that Thor had his own chair to sit in while Bruce worked. 

Conversation changed slightly when Bruce asked about how Thor trained. Thor said he lifted weights and drilled for the most part, but would spar with the right partner. Fighting was important to Asgard’s warrior culture, and was typically seen as a courting ritual, especially among the royal family and warrior classes. It was typically performative and in front of an audience, and required ceremony upon the official engagement spar. The first time, it would be in front of friends or comrades in arms to show that the pair were courting; after that, the sparring could be done in private, but it was a sign the pair intended to be engaged. Fighting alongside the partner was also considered to show the strength and bond between the pair before they finally fought in front of family in a more formalized manner with the exchange of weapons to symbolize the engagement. 

“Would the Hulk be the right partner?”

The question took Thor aback momentarily. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to explain that courting was  _ extremely  _ important since he was a prince and warrior both. 

It was also extremely important because Thor had developed a bit of a schoolgirl crush on Bruce over the last few weeks and his dorky glasses and wrinkled shirts and rumpled curls and Thor sparring with him would mean courtship. 

“Perhaps?”

“I want to work on the whole ‘Hulk smash!’ thing, you know?” Bruce explained, voice more sheepish and shy than usual. 

Thor considered Bruce’s request, trying to turn over in his head how he could go about this without courting Bruce. This was Midgard, he rationalized, and sparring was just a way to train with another partner. Bruce was technically a coworker and was also a friend, so if they sparred it would be purely platonic. Bruce didn’t even  _ know  _ about Asgard’s “fighting as courting” ritual and it wouldn’t mean anything. 

_ But it would mean something to you,  _ the voice in the back of Thor’s head reminded him. 

“You know, if you don’t want to it’s okay, you don’t have to,” Bruce said in his usual  _ oh, don’t mind me I don’t want to inconvenience you  _ tone, but Thor wanted to help Bruce if he could. 

“No! I’ll do it,” Thor interjected. “I’ll spar with you.”

Bruce beamed. “Thanks, Thor.”

Thor gulped. This was going to be a sticky situation. 

The next day, Thor met Bruce in the gym. Bruce was sitting on the mat, curled up in himself, wearing a loose long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants. What Thor  _ didn’t  _ see at first was Steve, Natasha, and Clint on the treadmills and rowing machines in the back of the room. Thor stopped in his tracks and froze. 

_ Fuck, this is what Midgardians call a date. This is a date and Bruce doesn’t even know. We’re going to be a couple now. Oh, Allfather have mercy on me.  _

“Hey, Thor!” 

Bruce sprang up and waved, his too-long sleeves slipping past his wrists. He looked  _ good  _ right now, all dorky and awkward in the way that was so simply Bruce. Thor almost didn’t even want to spar with Bruce right now, simply because he didn’t want to hurt him, but remembered that he would be sparring the Hulk.  _ He  _ should probably be afraid that the Hulk would hurt  _ him.  _

“Hello, Banner!”

“I hope you don’t mind I invited Steve, Nat, and Clint,” Bruce said as he approached Thor. “Just as insurance in case I go too far when I Hulk out.”

The trio waved in his direction, and began to turn off their respective machines. 

“That’s perfectly fine!” Thor said, trying to mask his uneasiness about sparring with Bruce in front of the others. Steve, Clint, and Natasha sat on the bench next to the mat and towelled sweat off their foreheads. Thor almost wanted to grab a towel right now, too, and wipe off the sweat accumulating on his brow from the thought of this  _ performance  _ of strength in front of their friends. 

“This’ll definitely be something to watch,” Natasha quipped to Clint as she rolled her wrists out. Thor felt nervous, for once, about sparring. Any other time, this would be his pledge that he wanted to propose to Bruce one day. 

“Are you ready, do you need to warm up or anything?” Bruce asked, fingering the hem of his shirt. Thor could tell Bruce was anxious to start and get this over with. He still hadn’t figured out a surefire way to come back from being Hulk and every time, Bruce was concerned he wouldn’t come back. Thor worried that, too, and almost wished Bruce would call the whole thing off. 

“I’m ready to go, yeah,” Thor said, setting Mjölnir on the ground. He wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers and tried to clear his mind of any and all anxieties he had about this moment. 

“You still have the tranquilizer arrow?” Bruce asked in Clint’s direction as he stripped off his shirt. Thor distantly heard Clint respond  _ yeah  _ but all Thor could do was look at Bruce. Thor had seen him without a shirt before, but by the Allfather, Thor  _ wanted.  _ Bruce hid his toned form and strong arms beneath the baggy, too-big clothes and Thor wished he could tell him that he didn’t have to do that, didn’t have to feel awkward about his body. 

_ Bruce really doesn’t know how stunning he looks, does he? If he was mine, I would tell him every day and every night and never let him forget- _

“Thor, watch out!” 

Thor barely heard the panicked cry spring from Steve’s mouth before seeing Hulk charge towards him. Thor ducked out of the way and slid across the mat, avoiding collision with Hulk’s fists. Thor held out his hand for Mjölnir and swung it up towards Hulk’s abdomen, sending him stumbling back a few steps. Thor jumped to his feet, hammer wielded, but Hulk pinned him to the mat easily in retaliation. Thor struggled against Hulk’s grip, but wildly kicked his legs, attempting to throw Hulk off his rhythm; one kick hit Hulk’s side, which made him roar in pain and toss Thor to the side. 

Thor groaned as he stood once more, cupping his likely bruised side and made eye contact with Hulk. Thor maintained the eye contact as he approached Hulk and without Hulk seeing, he was able to summon Mjölnir and swing it towards Hulk, hitting him square in the chest before flying back to Thor’s hand. Hulk roared in rage again, charging towards Thor with his fist raised and knocking Thor into the ground. Thor moaned in pain as his back hit the ground, sending agony through his limbs; he could barely move. Hulk had his fist in the air again and a wild, crazed look in his eyes. It was the last thing Thor saw before it all went black. 

**~~~~~**

“Thor? Thor? You good, man?” 

Thor blinked his eyes open to a bright light. He was still lying on the mat in the gym. He shifted, uncomfortable because of the pain, and saw Nat, Steve, and Clint sitting over him. Steve extended an arm to him and Thor gladly took it, sitting up but feeling dizzy as soon as he was vertical. He put a hand to his forehead, wincing at the dull  _ thump, thump  _ in his skull. 

“He knocked you out pretty bad about ten minutes ago,” Natasha said and offered some water. “Clint got him with the tranq arrow, but it probably wasn’t good for Bruce.”

_ Bruce.  _

“Is Bruce alright? Is he fine?”  Thor asked, scanning the room until he saw Bruce’s body, slightly limp on the mat a few feet away next to Clint and skin tinted green. His shoulders and chest were slowly rising and falling, but it still sent a wave of concern through Thor. 

“He’ll be up in a few minutes hopefully, but for now he’s pretty unconscious,” Clint said. “If he’s not up by then, we’ll bring him to med.”

Thor felt regret; he shouldn’t have agreed to this. Not just because of the marriage implications this all had, but because Bruce was hurt. At least Bruce, well, the Hulk, won, because this would have been a valid engagement and courtship if Thor had won. 

“God, what the hell…” 

All four pairs of eyes looked at Bruce as he turned over on his back from his side. Someone had been kind enough to throw a towel over Bruce’s lower body while he was out, so he was covered. Steve handed Bruce his long sleeve and he sat up slowly, body still weighed down by the drugs in the arrow. 

“Tell Tony that these tranq arrows aren’t going to be the right fit to help me come back,” Bruce said, voice weak and hunched over into his knees. “I feel like shit.”

“Don’t strain yourself,” Steve said to Bruce, raising his hand as if to stop him. Bruce fully sat up anyways and slid his long sleeve on before curling up into himself again; he usually got cold after being the Hulk and needed a blanket or heavy jacket over him as he came back. 

“Did I win?” 

The question was obviously directed at Thor. The four laughed to themselves and Thor’s heart pulled in his chest at Bruce’s innocent question. 

“Of course you did.”

Bruce’s smile and hazy eyes only made Thor’s heart beat faster in his chest and made him beam wider than he ever had before. Oh, yeah. Thor was head over heels for Bruce. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kendall here. Posting for Hunter. Y'all know the drill. One black coffee. Same motherfucker.
> 
> me, in ya brain: kudos/comment on this fic  
> you: but why  
> me, in ya brain: you gotta
> 
> ~Hunter


	2. Second Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second time they fight, Thor doesn’t have as much hesitation.

The second time was suggested on the flight back from an Avengers mission attempting to take out an illegal arms dealer in Berlin. They were almost back at the Tower and Bruce was still feeling the effects of  _ the other guy  _ coursing through his veins. He only allowed Thor to get close to him for fear of seriously hurting someone else and because he really only seemed to trust Thor right now. 

“I need to get the rest of this fucking anger out,” Bruce said, white-knuckling the shock blanket he had over his shoulders. Thor saw Bruce’s eyes flare green for a moment before returning to normal. The veins of Bruce’s arms, hands, and neck were still pulsing green and Thor could tell that Bruce was barely keeping it together. His usual lightly tanned skin was greenish all over and there was still toughness in his tone. 

“What do you want to do?” Thor asked, keeping his voice low so he didn’t startle Bruce. He’d learned that this was the best way to address Bruce when he was still half-Hulked out like he was now. 

“I want to spar with you again,” Bruce said, his voice and gaze intense as he addressed Thor. It sent a surprising rush of arousal down Thor’s spine. Being around Bruce, angry and animal, after he Hulked out was always interesting for Thor because he was so used to seeing Bruce so shy and reserved.

It still hung in Thor’s head that he and Bruce were courting now. He hadn’t the heart to tell Bruce that yet, though. If they were on Asgard right now, they would be courting and on track to be engaged. Not that Thor didn’t want that, because he did, but he had no idea how Bruce would react if he told the man that they were technically a couple on his home planet since they sparred in front of Steve, Nat, and Clint, especially right now when Bruce was still Hulked out. If Thor said yes, it would confirm that Thor wanted to propose marriage to Bruce. 

_ You want to say yes,  _ the voice in Thor’s head reminded him like it had nearly every day for two weeks.  _ You want to marry him, you’re so enamoured with him and his hair and his voice and his mind and- _

“Are you sure?” Thor asked.

“I’m still half-green, Thor. I just need to get my energy out,” Bruce said. The edge in his voice was still there and made the hairs on Thor’s arms stand on edge. 

“Then I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”

When they arrived back at the Tower and the rest of the team retired to their rooms for a shower or a rest of something to eat, Thor and Bruce went right to the gym. Bruce peeled the shock blanket from his bare sweaty skin and revealed to Thor just how green his torso still was, and he wasn’t kidding; on anyone else, the shade of green his skin was would be a sign of sickness. Right now, Bruce was almost at a height with Thor and his muscles still had their Hulk-like definition. Thor phased off his armor so that he was just in a thin t-shirt and trousers and tried not to let his eyes linger too long on Bruce. And on Bruce’s hip bones that peeked out of the loose sweats and boxer briefs he had on. They stood on the mat together, the only light on the one above the mat shining down on them and flickering intermittently. 

“You ready?” Thor asked, balling his fists by his side. Bruce nodded and after a moment of calm, came at Thor with his elbow, to which Thor parried with his forearm and muscled Bruce back. Bruce aimed for Thor’s jaw with his fist and was successful, making Thor cry out in pain. He didn’t anticipate Bruce’s next move and received another elbow to the center of his chest. He stumbled back and before Bruce could get him again, Thor pushed Bruce will all the strength he could muster and got him on the mat. Bruce groaned when his back hit the mat, but Thor could see the green fading from his veins and skin. 

Thor got down on the mat beside Bruce and held him down by his collarbone with his forearm. Bruce tried to wrestle Thor off of him, but Thor pinned him with his knee, forcing his whole weight down onto Bruce’s abdomen and chest. 

“You can fight this, Banner,” Thor said through gritted teeth. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he felt his long hair matted to it. Bruce looked similar. “Come back to yourself.”

Bruce was able to use his hands and a leg to flip Thor off of him and put the other man on his back. Bruce was completely on top of Thor, hands still tinged green holding down Thor’s shoulders and knees pinning down the tops of Thor’s thighs. Thor grunted as he tried to shove Bruce off of him, but Bruce kept him there. Bruce raised a fist and got Thor right across the jaw and then on his cheekbone before Thor used his now-free arm and completely threw Bruce off of him so that Bruce laid on his back beside him. Thor rolled up to his knees and held down Bruce’s hands, which proved to be too much for Bruce, who, using the last of his anger and strength, threw Thor to the other side of the mat. 

Thor grimaced at hitting the ground so forcefully and laid in the fetal position for a minute as he tried to absorb the pain. When he finally opened his eyes, Thor saw Bruce sit up and run a hand through his hair. Bruce looked down at his hands, checking for green, and sighed in relief as he dropped to the mat again. 

“Thor…”

Thor picked himself up but stumbled to his knees almost immediately after trying to rise. He figured it wasn’t worth the energy and crawled over to where Bruce was. His knees and wrists cracked under the pressure and from his weight on them, but Thor barely minded. 

“How are you feeling?”

“I won,” Bruce breathed out with a chuckle. Thor rolled his eyes and grinned at Bruce’s snarky comment. Still, though, Bruce looked beat; his head was against the mat and his eyes were half-opened. Bruce panted and gasped for air as he felt Hulk finally leave his body. 

“Are you alright now, Banner?” Thor asked and helped Bruce up. Bruce rested his tired head against Thor’s shoulder and let out a wordless noise of affirmation. Thor smiled to himself and wished he could kiss Bruce on the top of his head. Thor wanted to take care of Bruce the way he would after a fight if they were truly courting, tending to his bruises and cuts and kissing each one, washing the sweat and grime off of him, and laying him down in bed so he could sleep. 

“Should I take you to your room?” 

“Please?”

Thor scooped up Bruce in his arms bridal style and carried him out of the gym. Bruce was not as heavy as he thought, and he looked so serene and peaceful in Thor’s arms. He passed by Steve drinking a glass of water in the kitchen, who raised his eyebrows inquisitively at the sight of a sweat-slicked Thor carrying a shirtless, dead tired Bruce in his arms. 

“He wanted to go a few rounds on the mat to get the other guy out,” Thor explained. 

“No judgement.”

Thor and Steve shared a nod with each other and Thor progressed to the bedroom wings, the lights flickering on as he walked by them. When he arrived at Bruce’s room, he laid the man down on top of the covers and placed a stray blanket over his bare torso. Thor tried his hardest not to let his fingertips linger on Bruce’s shoulder, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Goodnight, Banner.”

“Goodnight, Thor.”

One day he’d tell Bruce. Not now, not never, but soon. He deserved to know. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hunter's coming back very soon, dear readers! Until then, please enjoy another piece of wisdom from yours truly, Kendall (soprano_tenor14). Though my duckling days are behind me, I'd like to indulge those of you who may remain youthful and bright. One feels like a duck splashing around in all of this wet (the rain). And when one feels like a duck, one is happy (now, that's debatable). Quack quack!

**Author's Note:**

> me, in ya brain: kudos/comment on this fic  
> you: but why  
> me, in ya brain: you gotta
> 
> ~Hunter


End file.
